


Carrying A Torch In The Dark

by Smokeycut



Series: Brucetober [4]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Love Confession, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-04 23:43:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12782208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokeycut/pseuds/Smokeycut
Summary: Bruce finally admits something that he's been keeping a secret for some time. He's in love with Dr October, and one thing scares him; The chance that she might not feel the same.





	1. Confessional

"When I picture myself happy... it's with you."

Victoria stared at Bruce, her eyes wide with shock at the sudden confession. He wasn't holding her gaze, instead keeping his eyes low, aimed at the lab station in front of them. She could read the insecurity on his face, likely expecting a rejection from her. The air in the batcave was cool and wet, and she couldn't be sure if the shiver she felt was from it or from what had just been said. She moved her hand over to his and held it gently. A quick squeeze to put him at ease and draw his gaze to her. She couldn't see the bags under his eyes due to the dark blue cowl he wore, but she could hear how tired his voice was. She could tell he had been sleeping less than usual. Kept awake at night by this realization and the struggle to reveal it.

What she couldn't see were the days he spent had agonizing over whether or not he should tell her. The hours that had gone into analyzing his attraction, wondering when exactly it began. Tracing it back to the day that they reunited in Monster Town, just after her return to the city they grew up in. Perhaps even further, he still considered. Had there been an attraction, unrealized and unconsidered, before she came out? He couldn't be sure. But by that moment, sitting there in the cave, he was beyond certain. The sharpness of her jawbone. The hypnotizing black lips that distracted him each and every time they parted to utter a new word, and those words, God those words. Soft like velvet, and heavy too. Like some golden age cinema starlet, every syllable deep and heady and pulling him further into the conversation. The softness of her skin, the grace in her step, the snort in her laugh. The jet black hair and the ivory streak that ran through it. Victoria couldn't see how she wormed her way into his daydreams, his mental images of his family. She didn't know how she made his heart skip a beat.

"When I picture myself happy... it's with you." It wasn't just a statement of fact, it was a confession of a long buried truth. It had been rattling it's way out of his head like a bird in a cage too small for it's wings. When her gloved hand touched his, and his head turned to look at her, he saw the effect his words had had. Her mouth hung open for a moment, shocked, before the black lips he adored curled upwards into a toothy smile. Her eyes welled up and sparkled like they had stars hiding behind them. Her heart was bursting in her chest, in rhythm with his. 

"Are you trying to say you love me, big Mr Bat?" she asked with a shaking voice. Her usual confidence and poise had left the moment she heard his confession, and so she was left trying to string her own thoughts and feelings together with little more than a shred of genuine assuredness. She had never imagined he would return the torch she carried for him, carried since they first became friends all those years ago. She wasn't the sort of person who'd draw his eye back then, at least not the person he had thought she was. She couldn't imagine that, but a part of her had always hoped. He placed his other hand on top of her's and squeezed it in turn. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

"I adore you, Victoria. With all my heart. I've never been good at this, but... I want you to know. I need you to know. You're the woman of my dreams, Victoria. It just took me far too long to realize it."

She leaned in and touched her forehead to his. Her hand slipped from between his and rose to caress the side of his face. His arms wrapped around her waist and he brought her in closer. His eyes closed as their foreheads met, and when she tilted her head so as to bring her lips to his, he accepted the gift graciously. Bruce's lips parted when Victoria kissed him, and when her hands slipped around to hold the back of his head and neck, he leaned in, dipping her ever so slightly. When their mouths parted ways, there was a small smile on Bruce's face. Victoria wore one as well, and she fought the urge to wipe away the black lipstick that had rubbed off on his lips.

"Is that an answer?" he asked quietly, playfully.

"No, but this is; I love you too, Bruce. I've been carrying that torch for a long long while." She pressed a hand to his chest and looked up at him coyly. "Do you want me to come upstairs?" she asked.

"Tonight, and every night after," he whispered, touching his forehead to her's once more.


	2. Blue Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like this is going to be the place where I collect my random Brucetober prompts.

"It's lonely here without you," Bruce admitted.

Victoria looked over at the monitor of the bat-computer, where his image was displayed. He looked ragged, possibly dehydrated, definitely underfed. She felt a pang of guilt upon seeing him in that state. When he had left with the League a few weeks back, a part of her had wished she could go with them. That said, she knew for a fact that she would be of more use in Gotham. 

"I miss you too," she said with a small smile. "You better come back soon, Batboy. The birds are starting to miss their father, and I'm not sure Richard and Damian like me much."

"As soon as Black Adam is dealt with, I'll have Clark fly me back to Gotham. Just... stick close to Cassandra. Damian won't risk trying anything if she's around."

Victoria let out a small chuckle, then turned her attention back to her lab work. Tim and Duke had brought her samples from the case they were working, and if her suspicians were correct, then they would need all the help they could get to deal with it. That meant they would need Batman back in Gotham. The fact that it'd also bring her boyfriend back home was just a small bonus.

"What is it?" he asked, sensing her fears. Ever the worrier. 

"Scarecrow," she said, sighing in frustration and rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Duke brought some samples to me this afternoon. Looks like he's trying to mutate himself into some kind of monster. Considering his usual schtick? This is a bold move."

"Hh. I'll see if we can wrap things up in Khandaq quickly then." Bruce looked offscreen, distracted by someone yelling. He groaned and looked back to Victoria, wearing an expression of pure exhaustion. 

"Lanterns getting on your nerves again?"

"Three of them. I begged Clark and Diana not to bring Hal along, and yet..."

"Well I'll leave you to it then. Just come back in one piece. Oh, and get Flash to bring you some food, alright? You're undereating again, I can tell."

He grumbled a bit as he ended the video call. She still managed to catch a glimpse of a smile before the feed shut off.

"Love you, blue eyes," she added with a soft smile, just barely quick enough to be heard before the feed was shut off.

"I love you too, dear doctor," he whispered just after ending down the call. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Hal smirking, and just knew he wouldn't hear the end of it until long after the mission had ended.

**Author's Note:**

> Posting this as it is, but I may add some more chapters exploring their relationship in the future! I just love this ship a lot lol.


End file.
